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English summary February 9 - 15
Galerie Area 53: Papierarbeiten (Paperworks)
It doesn’t blush, but it’s not silent
The Gallery Area 53 is currently presenting more than 50 artworks by 30 contemporary artists. The exhibit “Papierarbeiten” (paper works) shows the range of artistic expression with the media paper. Bruno Rey’s figurative ballpoint pen drawings “Kopf- und Handarbeit” (mental and hand work) deal with the value of the artist’s self in connection with his occupation. “The Artist of Jam” by Erwin Wurm is delightfully human; and varying everyday emotions are depicted in Patrick Gaumüllers “Papipado”, showing the contrasts among a boozy group of people, as well as in Mathias Pöschl’s “zig”. Florian Lang focuses on the subliminal, increasingly popular area of voyeurism in his work “partnershopping.com(h&m)”. The ambiguity of the desire to be famous as well as its partly negative consequences is encapsulated in this work.
The slandering of clerical circles concerning sexual intercourse is to be found continuously – both unofficially as well as officially. Hari Schütz’s “o.T.”-construction of these “dealings” in sacred halls makes this very clear.
Whoever thinks that paper is silent and doesn’t blush may be right. However, the expressiveness of these works is all but that. Who has not wanted to express something with, or on, a piece of paper?
Alexander Lass
Galeria Area 53
1060 Vienna, Gumpendorfer Strasse 53, until 27.02.09
www.area53.name
Westlicht. Schauplatz für Fotografie: The surgical view. Staged photography – Viennese Actionism. Collection Konzett
Staged action, surgical view
Blood, sperms, sweat, and tears: the smashing of the panel painting by the Viennese actionists was eruptive and undertaken with brute force. The main protagonists Hermann Nitsch, Otto Muehl, Rudolf Schwarzkogler, and Günther Brus destroyed the boundaries of the well-established standardized definitions of art, and swept everything away that was sacred to Austria at the time.
Sacrificial lambs, crosses, knives, cables, razor blades, were among the preferred requisites for the actionist dismantling of all traditional attitudes towards morality and painting. These objects were employed according to an exact choreography both on the artists’ bodies as well as others. Once surrounded by scandal and ostracized, Actionism is now seen as one of the most important movements of Austrian post-war-art.
Günther Brus, distorted with pain and painted over in white, Rudolf Schwarzkogler, bandaged, and photos of several Actions have now all become icons. The artists were aware of the impact and expressiveness of photography as an independent media form and defined exactly how their actions should be staged for posterity. This aspect, which was neglected until now, is the main focus of the current exhibition at the gallery Westlicht “The surgical view”.
“Actionism is a multimedia, interdisciplinary form of art. The role of photography goes far beyond just being a form of documentation: it is a form of staged photography with a precise language”, said curator Herbert Klocker, who selected 120 works from the Collection Konzett. Drawings, printed graphics, collages, and videos are displayed in addition to the vintage and contact prints.
The artworks were mainly created between 1964 and 1967. At that time, Nitsch, Brus, Schwarzkogler, and Muehl developed original forms of documentation for their Actions. Most works are mid-size format Hasselblads. Ludwig Hoffenreich usually pressed the shutter release and was one of the congenial partners. Brus and Schwarzkogler had a predilection for a focused eye on self-destructive tendencies, Hermann Nitsch’s stage-like production anticipated the orgy- and mystery theatre, and Muehl displayed his voyeuristic love of details and a powerful tendency towards colour.
Isabella Marboe
Westlicht. Schauplatz für Fotografie
1070 Vienna, Westbahnstrasse 40, until 22.03.2009
www.westlicht.com
Georg Kargl Fine Arts: Feedbackstage
In the Domino field of sound-art
“Feedbackstage”, the title of the project presented at Georg Kargl Fine Arts, includes all connotations of amplified and recorded music. The range of works spans from the revolutionary plug-in mode on rock stages and sound-art to new compositions.
The dynamics of the show, curated by Fiona Liewehr, stretch from calm, intimate, chamber music to loud, noisy explosions; from largo, larghetto to adagio, allegretto, and a distinct presto.
A series of compositional drawings by Willem Engelen “Verstrijken für Viola”, 2007, is very intimate, and was based on recorded emotions of musicians and the sound transformation is mediated through a small audio station – which is in sharp contrast to what’s going on at the far end of the gallery, where you will find Jimi Hendrix’ scandalous performance of “The Star Spangled Banner”, at the legendary Woodstock Festival in 1969. In this work, created by the artists Janet Cardiff /George Bures Miller and Cory Arcangel, the music is played via Apple GarageBand Program. Undoubtedly, the central theme is the reciprocal influence of sound and picture.
All in all, the exhibit is a mix of sound-art mingled with positions of conceptual art. Among the works shown are Erwin Thorn’s drawings “Random Tunes”, Christian Marclay’s “Echo” (1992), as well as Gerwald Rockenschaub’s pictograms based on sound. The “Black Market” logo, representing the no longer existent record shop in Vienna, is mounted on the gallery’s outside wall.
Other works include Peter Weibel’s “Erfindung des Zündschalls” (1996), a matchbox-size turntable set in contrast to the dimensions of a stand, created by Michael Gumhold, (2009), and Albert Mayr’s “Rock n’ Roll Interface” (2009), an equipment-collage aimed at starting all kinds of wah-wah, fuzz and feedback effects of Rock-n’-Roll history. Works by Bernhard Leitner, Steven Prina, or Idris Khan, are also presented.
Walking through the exhibit it becomes increasingly difficult to find a central theme. But that seems to be immanent to this kind of a project, since the conceptual transgressions in the direction of sound cannot easily be summarized in one stream of art history. It is more about highly differentiated positions in very divergent contexts. And it is exactly these kinds of moments that create the excitement. The interpretations can be extended by a change of perspective as well as re-contextualisation; and the system itself could be expanded similar to a game of Domino.
Roland Schöny
Georg Kargl Fine Arts
1040 Vienna, Schleifmühlgasse 5, until 07.03.09
www.georgkargl.com
Futurism 100!
Acceleration frenzy
“Futurism 100!” - a series of large exhibitions
Futurism is usually reduced to headlines charged up with sensationalism. In addition, Italian Fascism curbed the concepts of the movement. Underexposed in the shadow of avant-garde manifestations such as Marinetti’s scansion of war as “ZANG-TUMB-TUUMB” the picture story and the diverse international cultural historical connotations remain.
The numerous exhibitions marking the centenary of the Futurist Manifesto offer ample opportunities for an extensive debate. After the project had taken place at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the epicentre of the presentations now shifted to Upper Italy.
Signal rockets were fired from Rovereto to celebrate the beginning of the three-part anniversary event “FUTURISMO 100”. That is where the majority of the legacy is located. Only Marinetti’s is in the USA. In addition, Rovereto is the intersection point of those concepts and ideologies of Modernism, which go beyond Cubism and coincide with Futurism. The exhibition organized on the occasion of the opening of the Year of Futurism at the MaRT (January 17 until June 7) is therefore called “Illuminations. Avant-garde compared. Italy – Germany – Russia”.
As the start of the Italian Futurism project lead by Ester Coen, which will continue in Venice and Milan with the topics “Astrazioni” and “Simultaneità”, Rovereto focuses on the relationships between Futurism and the main representatives of the Russian and German avant-garde. Marinetti’s legendary journey to Russia in 1914 is the central theme. In addition to the linkage between futuristic painters and Russian artists, views in the direction of the art capitals such as Paris, Berlin, Moscow, and New York are highlighted.
The density of artistic presence in northern Italian villages is fascinating, but their affinity to Fascism is scary, as well as the transgressions from the architecture of Modernism to that of Fascism. Surprising, how scarce critical approaches are; but on the other hand not really surprising if one takes Italy’s political context into consideration. In any case, the year 2009 offers a unique opportunity to deal with Futurism.
The travelling exhibition “Futurismo. Avanguardia-Avanguardie”, which was shown in Paris first, will be presented at the Scuderie del Quirinale in Rome as of February 20, and starting with June 12 at the Tate Modern in London. In view of the extensive picture and documentation material, one should however not forget the sound-side of Futurism. Today young musicians, for example Luigi Russolo, are again absorbing the sound-studies of machine tones and producing originals.
Roland Schöny
An overview of the exhibits:
Venedig
Museo Correr
Despero – works from the collection Fedrizzi
bis 1. 03. 09.
www.museiciviciveneziani.it
London
Estorick Collection
"Futurism 100!"
bis 19. 04 09
www.estorickcollection.com
Rovereto
MaRT
Futurismus 100. Illuminations. Avant-garde compared. Italy – Germany – Russia
bis 7. 06. 09
deutsch.mart.trento.it
Rom
Scuderie del Quirinale
Futurismo. Avanguardia-Avanguardie
20. 02 – 24. 05. 09
english.scuderiequirinale.it
Venedig
Museo Correr
Astrazioni
5. 06. bis 4. 10. 09
www.museiciviciveneziani.it
London
Tate Modern
Futurism
12. 06 - 20. 09 09
www.tate.org.uk/modern
Mailand
Palazzo Real
Simultaneità
15. 10. 09 - 25. 01.10
www.artpalazzoreale.it
Mehr Texte von translated and summarized by: Liz Wollner-Grandville
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